


Cloven Hooves, Horns and Wings

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Creature Inheritance, Curse Breaking, Curses, F/M, Fluff, Hag character, Many many Original Characters, Original Character(s), Prince Family - Freeform, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:22:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24538420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The snake bite was not the end. In some ways it was just the beginning. In other ways, it was sort of the middle. And Severus Snape hadn't really changed that much. Had he?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 159
Kudos: 157





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know! I know...more new stories! Sorry but not really. LOL
> 
> The title of this story (and a small amount of its inspiration) is from a song by Cybernetic Witch Cult from their album Spaceous Cretaceous, available on all the usual good places! I can highly recommend their song Enchantress also...and basically all their albums.
> 
> I have multiple chapters already written and, because the first chapter is a little bit of an introduction and not exactly anything...exciting...I'm uploading two chapters today. This story will be updated weekly, just like my other WIP You Let Me.
> 
> Thanks for reading and love to you all! <3

As the darkness closed in around him, Severus watched the children leave. Harry Potter, who had to die so that his friends might live. Ronald Weasley, the boy who was destined to always be known as The Boy Who Lived’s Best Friend. And Hermione Granger, the brains of the Golden Trio, the Muggleborn that would be held above all others to prove she was better than those who had come before her. He watched them leave and knew he would not see them coming back. His sight was fading and he knew that this was the end.

His wand had rolled from his loose fingers and his arms were too heavy to pull his spare from his cloak pocket, or to reach the one in his ankle holster. Or the one up his sleeve. Severus Snape was an incredibly careful man. But apparently, not careful enough. He thought he had had a vial or two of anti-venom in his system still but it obviously was not enough. Was this it then? Was it over?

He had chosen to let them think he was already dead. No need for them to see the inhumane results of a life less ordinary. He knew, having been the one to see it in many situations, that any violent death resulted in a voiding of the body. He figured he had been made human by the sharing of his memories. They did not need to see him become his fully weakened self.

He shifted slightly, the warm stickiness of his blood on his neck causing the skin to pull tight and make him feel more ill. It was a vile feeling. Why did it have to be the snake? Any other manner of death he could have coped with. Even the Avada Kedavra. At least then it would have been instantaneous rather than this drawn out and painful death.

He felt a pulse of magic and realised it had come from within his chest. He slumped backwards, the wall of the Shrieking Shack disappearing from behind him as the pulse came a second time. His eyes fluttered, a scream catching in his tattered throat as his vision swam, filled only with black soulless eyes and bright red stained lips.

Severus Snape moved no more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And...relax...Severus wakes up.

“He has been unconscious for two days. Should we not wake him up Radford?” The voice seemed to come from far away penetrated his brain fog quite nicely with its shrill cadence. He groaned softly, desperately hoping that the voices would shut up so that he could prepare himself for the tortures of Hell quietly.

“Beatrix, please, he will wake when his body is healed. That was a nasty way to try to die. Theodore’s suicide, Lysander’s murder…even the witch hunts that got Arthur were less brutal than that. He needs the brief respite that sleeping will afford him before he has to deal with the rest.” The second voice was definitely masculine, obviously the ‘Radford’ to whom the first voice had referred. Severus groaned again and rolled over, his back cramping and spasming as he moved. He whimpered in a very unmanly way and gritted his teeth as he opened his eyes, blinking blearily at the ceiling.

It definitely was not the Shrieking Shack. The ceiling was painted white here, he could tell that they had once been rather smart looking before age and, from the smell of it, damp had tainted the paint and caused it to peel. Now it was grey and dull, the whole room seemingly musty and old smelling. He opened his mouth to speak, unsure what sort of voice he would have been left with after the snake’s attack.

“Where am I?” He could practically feel the eyeroll from wherever the voices came from and had to hold in his own sneer. Although the question had merit, it was a rather asinine comment none the less.

“Welcome back to the land of the living dear boy!” The male voice, Radford, sounded like a twinkly old man, reminding him worryingly of Albus Dumbledore and Severus flinched, enough to send his back into further spasms. “Careful there my lad! You’ll do yourself a mischief!”

“I shall repeat myself…where am I?” Severus’s voice was slightly gruffer than it used to be and definitely softer. He tried very hard not to groan in pain again as the act of speaking made his throat rebel against the bite and the scarring.

“Well, my boy, it depends what you are actually asking. You are currently in Lincolnshire. Or in a bed in the Prince Mansion if you’d like to be more specific.” Radford spoke again and seemed to have moved, though Severus could not see him at all.

“Has no one told you it is rude to stay hidden when someone is talking to you?” Severus attempted a biting comment and sounded closer to a whining brat. He coughed and the burning in his throat increased ten-fold. He felt his eyes water and blinked rapidly, attempting to get rid of the tears as quickly as possible. The voice started to laugh, wheezing and rasping in a voice that echoed around the whole room and Severus glared at the ceiling.

“My boy, if I could come to you I would.” Severus winced at the usage of the nickname that Albus had used so many times and he felt the need to introduce himself, something that would never have happened in the past.

“Severus, my name is Severus Theodore Snape.” It seemed like a non sequitur but he heard the pleading in his voice.

“Theodore? They named you Theodore?” A third voice joined the conversation and Severus’s head whipped to the left, knowing where that voice came from but still not seeing anyone.

“Yes, it was my Grandfather’s name. Grandfather Prince.”

“You’d be Eileen’s lad then?” Severus heard the sadness in the voice and he fidgeted, trying desperately to sit up in the bed so he could find the people who were speaking. It was difficult but he was finally able to pull himself up to lean against the headboard. He moved his head slowly, trying to see around the black spots in his vision.

“Can’t you come closer?” Severus tried to ask the new voice and heard the dry chuckle softly on the left side of the room.

“Would that I could lad. How are you with wandless magic? Try a Lumos would you?” The disembodied voice was soft, tinged with an accent that he could not quite place. It was familiar, like the voice he had heard in a hundred dreams or the voice of an old friend. Severus flipped one of his spare wands into his waiting hand and cast the charm, frowning when it did not work.

“I did say wandless, lad. Trust me on this.” The voice had a slight smile to it and Severus chose, for once, to trust someone who suggested leaving himself wandless. He waved his hand and cast the Lumos charm, the light slightly weaker than when he cast with a wand. For a man who hated silly wand waving, he knew his strength lay in his having one of his many wands to focus him. The light rose to the ceiling before fanning out to all the lamps in the room, a soft glow lighting each of the lamps and the candelabra that seemed to be hanging from the ceiling. The light just showed how run down the room was.

“Where are you?” Severus looked around and realised he was very much alone in the room. Unless they were disillusioned somewhere but he could usually pick up on their placement. It came from being a spy for seventeen years. Or from being a teacher for just as many years. Especially when he was a teacher to the Weasley twins. He flicked the lights brighter using a little more of his weakened magical strength and saw them all for the first time, waving down at him from paintings on the wall.

“Well that’s rude!” Severus heard the woman’s voice as he passed out, the last thing he saw being the fathomless black eyes and bright red lips of the two males in their separate portraits.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The portraits introduce themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing...three characters that you will hopefully love! I'd also like to add (because I'm a complete nerd) that I have been working on a full family tree for this story. I have...uh...over 250 characters on the tree so far. NOT ALL OF THEM will play a part but some of them will. There is a possibility that I will find a way to publish the tree before this story ends so that you can see my notes...LOL...if anyone would actually want to...
> 
> <3

Severus awoke in the same room as before, on a bed that was beginning to make his back ache. The lights in the room had not dimmed and for that he was thankful as his eyes adjusted swiftly to the light and he sat up, looking at the paintings on the wall.

“Who are you?” He croaked out and wished silently for a glass of water. A soft pop made him jump as a glass of water with a single ice cube landed on the top of his bedside table. He blinked slowly, staring at the glass in case it disappeared. He was so parched it did not occur to him to check if the drink was poisoned and he sipped at it slowly, enjoying the clear crystalline taste of non-conjured water. This was not from a wordless Aguamenti. More than likely, it was from a House Elf.

“I am Radford Cornelius Allard Prince. I believe I am your Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather. This is my wife Beatrix Malthacia Prince.” The older, twinklier man who reminded him too much of Albus smiled and nodded beatifically at him. The only female nodded slightly and Severus nodded back, much preferring the way she seemed willing to let him mull things over rather than giving him too much information.

Radford Prince was, from his painting at least, a slightly warped version of Severus himself. He appeared to be just as slim but perhaps not as tall as Severus with fine, slightly greasy looking, black hair and black eyes. His skin was pale and waxy looking, even in the painting that was obviously painted to show some of his better features. The nose was either very underplayed or had not yet developed into the aquiline feature that Severus saw when he looked in the mirror.

Beatrix Prince was equally as pale as her husband, with the same dark, straight hair, but with piercing blue eyes, the likes of which Severus had never seen. She seemed to glow from the painting and it was a strange feeling to realise that she was his Eleventh Great Grandmother and he would have been strangely attracted to her. He had always been a sucker for pretty eyes. He made the observation in silence, trying not to allow even a hint of a chuckle to pass his lips but they quirked upwards slightly unintentionally.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Radford chuckled slightly and Severus blinked, looking back to his portrait.

“I apologise for staring. But yes, she is exceptionally beautiful.” Severus nodded and smiled at Beatrix. He was surprised when she smirked and he could see the same smirk that he was used to seeing on his own face.

“The Prince men have long struggled with the weakness of their gender. It appears you are no exception.” Beatrix’s eyebrow quirked upwards and he nearly groaned as the sight confused him immensely. She was a beautiful woman and yet in that moment she looked just like his mother.

“Stop baiting the boy, Beatrix!” Radford grumbled in his frame and pouted, looking like a spoilt brat. Severus rolled his eyes and almost missed that Beatrix had done the same. She smirked at him again and he was powerless to do anything but smirk back. The man in the third frame cleared his throat and Severus’s gaze was drawn to his. He seemed familiar but Severus could not place him.

“I am Phineas Nigellus Theophilius Prince. I am your Great Grandfather…” Severus’s eyes snapped to the face of the portrait and he suddenly knew why he recognised the man.

“Phineas Nigellus…were you always a Prince?” Severus interrupted the man and winced as the man’s eyes hardened.

“In all the ways and times that counted, yes I was. My father disowned me. I am assuming that you know the man?” The portrait sneered and Severus saw the resemblance to the former headmaster of Hogwarts once again.

“I know the portrait. The man has long since passed on. I was…I suppose technically I am Headmaster of Hogwarts. Just like your father.” Severus tilted his head sideways and nodded slightly.

“I hope for the sake of the children you were nothing like my father.” Phineas Prince’s mouth twitched into what would have been a smile if it had lasted long enough. Severus frowned, remembering the year that he had spent at the school.

“In fact, I rather think I was probably worse. The students…will not remember me fondly.” Severus sighed softly and the portraits looked on in silence as his shoulders slumped. He looked like a broken man. The voice of Radford Prince broke the silence after a few minutes.

“I think he needs to go to the library.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To the library!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd apologise for the language but...I refuse! This is where Phineas comes into his own and I really hope you guys like him as much as I do...
> 
> One of the phrases was also used in corvusdraconis's work Familiar (which is a WIP that EVERYONE should read)...thanks CD for letting me continue to use it!

They had called this place the Prince Mansion. As he left the bedroom, he began to realise that, although it was technically a mansion, it was as run down and battered as his own home in Spinner’s End. The walls had obviously once been white with dark wooden panels. Now they were a dingy dirty grey with holes where the wood panels had begun to rot. He looked down at the shrunken portrait of Phineas Prince and frowned.

“How long has this place been abandoned?” His lip curled in disgust as he dodged the piles of fallen plaster and narrowly avoided the hole in the floor where he could see a light fitting had fallen through to the lower floor.

“That’s a difficult question to ask a portrait.” Phineas gave another twitch of his lips. “I have no concept of what year it is. Or even what year it was. Theodore Prince was born in 1917 and, I believe, he abandoned here not long after your mother did?” His voice lilted up at the end and Severus realised he may have to fill in the gaps.

“I would ask Mam but she never sat for a portrait.” Severus continued walking down the hall, not wanting to talk about her while surrounded by the darkness of the Prince home.

“Of course she did. She is a Prince, isn’t she?” Phineas smirked this time, almost a full blown smile that looked so similar to Severus’s own, right down to the overcrowded teeth. He frowned at the portrait and chose not to answer as Phineas indicated the door he was to enter, the door to the Prince Family Library. He touched his hand to the door and turned the knob but it would not move.

“Oh come on!” Phineas’s voice broke the silence but he did not appear to be looking at Severus. The door would not open and Severus snarled, wondering if he would need to use magic to open it.

“Is there a specific set of wards or spells I should know?” Severus looked to the portrait for guidance and was surprised to see that Phineas was frowning at the door.

“If I know that stubborn son of mine, he will have used blood wards tied to the House Stone in the basement. Either the Library doors will open with a small amount of blood or you will have to go down to the basement to open the whole house to yourself.” Severus groaned softly. Of course, blood wards. Well wasn’t that just peachy?

“Right, so, the basement first then? And then back up here. Is there a quicker way than walking downstairs at least two floors?” Severus knew he had snapped but was already just starting to feel that his body would not hold him much longer if he had to travel all that way.

“Oh, that boy was not worth a fart in a whirlwind! That vile, cretinous, misbegotten flapdoodle! The scalawag has cussed the house to madness and ruin. Move swiftly boy, I need you to move back to the bed chamber you came in. He has placed a draining charm in the walls. You need to…” The portrait stopped speaking and Severus glanced down, the painting growing heavier in his hands as the Shrinking charm began to wear off. The magic imbued in the painting must be weakening as Phineas no longer moved. Severus turned back towards the room he had left and hurried along, practically throwing the painting through the door and dragging his barely working legs through after it. The door closed behind him and he grimaced at the loud noise.

“What is the matter with Phineas?” Beatrix’s voice broke the momentary hush and Severus flicked his gaze to her. His strength was already coming back to him and he pulled himself upright, leaning against the door and dragging the painting of Phineas Prince back to his side. The painting was less glossy than it had been and he winced, hoping that the portrait was not permanently damaged. Phineas began to twitch slightly and Severus let out a sigh of relief.

“Nothing is the matter with Phineas. There is a draining ward on the whole damned house.” Phineas’s voice came from the mostly stationary portrait and Severus tried to keep his laughter in. Phineas sounded as frustrated by the situation as Severus felt.

“A draining ward? Well, that presents rather more of a challenge than I would like while Severus is unwell. Or recovering. Whichever.” Beatrix sniffed haughtily and Severus grimaced slightly at the accusing way she spoke. It was not his fault he was weaker than usual. That could be significantly attributed to the fact that he had been bitten by a rather large and extremely bad tempered poisonous snake.

“Madam, I am doing incredibly well given the current circumstances. I have not seen a Healer that I am aware of and, if I remember correctly, two days ago I was fighting a war that I do not know the result of and was ostensibly attacked for existing, assuming that my memory of those events can be trusted.” Severus attempted to use what he thought of as his teaching voice and was mildly annoyed that it sounded less forceful and bitter than he had intended it to. It sounded almost as if he was apologising.

“Beatrix, give the boy some credit. He has done remarkably well seeing as he has not yet…well…” Radford trailed off as he was given a glare by both the other portraits and he blushed slightly, a fact that seemed to amuse Phineas more than anything. Phineas was now looking directly at Severus as if he were the most interesting specimen of humanity that had ever entered the Prince Mansion.

“Severus, are you Occluding?” Phineas’s voice was softer than it had been previously and Severus thought it sounded vaguely chiding, as if Occlumency was something he should not be practiced in. It immediately made him feel defensive.

“I am a spy and have been for almost twenty years. Of course I am Occluding.” Severus rolled his eyes and was annoyed to hear the throaty growl in his voice that had not been there before the attack. He hated things changing, especially changes he could not control.

“How long has it been since you have lowered your shields? Think now! Is it safe to lower them?” Phineas’s voice seemed more urgent than he would have expected and Severus frowned.

“I used to lower them daily with no issues until…” Severus trailed off pondering how long it had been since he had felt safe enough to release his barriers. “…until that blasted forest. Three, perhaps four months ago? No, it was just after Christmas. So, five months almost. It should still remain safe for me to lower the Occlumency shields but why would I want to?”

“Severus, the Prince wards will not recognise you or your intentions. The house is attacking you, making you weaker. It sees you as the enemy. Things will change if you just release your shields as much as you can.” Severus dropped his chin to his chest, knowing that releasing his shields after so long would undoubtedly result in a phenomenon known as Animatum Proiectura. He was thankful in part that his projected memories would only been seen by himself and the portraits. He took a breath and slowly released the first layer of Occlumency shields. He released the second and all hell broke loose.

_The forest of Dean…snow on the ground…two boys looking lost and cold. Then her, skin paler than before she left to go on this horrendous hunt. Sitting in the tent alone, crying quietly. Then Hogwarts…dark, tainted images, tainted with pain, voices of people calling out, screaming, crying, dying. People who were already dead, children who had not managed to escape, or chosen not to. So many children, so much pain, so much hurt. The smells assaulting him, the coppery tang of blood, the stench of human waste, the sweat, death, overpowering smell of death and fear._

He whimpered as he watched his memories of the last time he had been fully conscious of his thoughts. He watched the way that he had stalked through the halls of Hogwarts, overlaid with the images of the few bodies he had seen as he headed to the Shrieking Shack before his attack. He desperately wanted to close his shields again and pretend it had never happened but Severus refused to be a coward and he released his third and final shield for the first time in more years than he could remember.

“It is too much for him! He is going to kill himself before the damned Mansion recognises his blood. It is too much Phineas! Tell him to stop!” The voice spoke loudly over the rushing in his ears and Severus growled softly in his throat. He was not going to stop, he was not going to die, damn it all, he had not survived the attack of the snake just to be killed by his own brain.

The growl started low in his throat and his whole body began to shiver and shake. He rolled his shoulders as a tightness began in his back and felt his shirt rip as something began to ripple over his muscles in his back. He pulled his memories back, his dark eyes flashing with pain as his head pounded with pain, twin points of heat pulsing through his temples as he cried out again. Everything hurt. His back, his legs, his head. It all burned and he whimpered with the excruciating agony of a fire that burned within him. A scream passed his lips and his arms collapsed under him, his face hitting the floor with a dull thud.

And Severus Snape moved no more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wake up Severus...Uh oh...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies!  
> Thank you for all your support...I love you all.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter with two more characters...lol...not Portraits this time...

“Do you think he does this to be dramatic or does he just like to nap?” Phineas Prince’s voice broke him from his unconscious state and he very nearly blasted the damned portrait before he took a breath and felt his back shake slightly. The pain in his back was unusual and he tried to roll over. Something large and leathery got in his way.

“I would not move if I were you Severus. I have seen others like you. Please, trust me and do not try to roll over. Push yourself up and stand up for me. The house is responding to you and healing you.” Phineas spoke steadily, no hint of shakiness in his voice, but something about the way he spoke betrayed a nervous energy that Severus did not enjoy nor trust. He lifted his head and glared at the portrait, his head still pounding and feeling tight. However, he chose to take heed of Phineas’s advice, as it was the only advice he was being given, and slowly pushed himself up to standing.

Severus Snape had never been a short man. He had been described as long and lanky for as long as he had known. He had reached six foot tall by the age of fifteen and had only grown a little more than an inch after that. As he looked down at the painting of Phineas, he realised something was different. He seemed taller. A lot taller.

“What the…?” His voice was gravelly, deeper than it had any right to be. He wobbled slightly as he leaned down to pick up Phineas’s painting and felt unsteady on his feet as he turned the painting over to look at the man.

“Ah.” Phineas’s eyes had widened slightly but he gave no other indication of what was going on and yet Severus knew that there were changes. Something was quite different and very wrong.

“What is going on?” His voice seemed to echo in spite of the fact he had put next to no volume behind it and he felt nauseous with confusion. Severus liked to be in control and felt completely lost.

“Severus, sit down. On the bed would be best.” Phineas spoke quietly and Severus chose to shrink the painting again and take it with him, though it was no longer heavy even at its full size. He walked uncomfortably towards the bed and sat down on it, wincing as something behind him felt awkward and wiggled before falling still, independent of his own movement.

“Why am I taller?” It sounded stupid but it was the only way he could think to ask the question. He was not currently prepared to think about the strange things on his back.

“It’s more than that Severus. This is why we wanted to get you to the library. We still need to go there, especially now. I wonder if…Severus, ask out loud for some water.” Phineas nodded thoughtfully at him and, as confused as he was, Severus complied. Something odd was definitely happening.

“Uh…can I have a glass of cold water?” A soft pop from the bedside table signalled the arrival of the water almost before he had finished asking the question. Phineas nodded thoughtfully and smiled.

“The House Elves are back then. That will help. Ask for them to come to you.” Phineas, Severus was beginning to realise, was a very bossy individual. He wondered silently if that was why he had been disowned by the Black family, because he would not acquiesce to other demands.

“Will you come to me and introduce yourselves, House Elves?” Severus felt both awkward and annoyed that he had no idea how to speak to House Elves. He had always refused to interact with them at Hogwarts. It had felt a little like speaking to servants and Severus had extremely strong feelings on those sorts of interactions. Two small cracks caught his attention and he turned to look at the ancient House Elves that had appeared. They took one look at him, squeaked and burst into tears. 

He had watched them wobble and cry and wail for almost ten minutes before it infuriated him. He was never particularly good at handling crying. It had always seemed to be a complete waste of time and he huffed a breath before he spoke.

“I am the new Master of the House of Prince. My name is Severus Snape. Introduce yourselves and your roles.” He spoke the words as a demand and the wailing stopped, the house elves looking at each other before one nodded and stepped forward slightly.

“I is being Barry. I is Master’s personal Elf.” Severus looked mildly startled when he heard the house elf’s name but the house elf nodded at him, its watery grey eyes unblinking as it stepped back, bowing slightly. The other elf stepped forward and wrung its hands, fidgeting with the dirty looking pillowcase.

“I is being Moodey. I is your cook, Master Severus Sir.” She curtsied low, her nose practically scraping the ground and she stepped back from him again.

“Is this the full staff of House Elves?” Severus frowned, understanding immediately how the house had got into the state it was on if it was just two small elderly elves who were supposed to be keeping the place up to standard.

“There was being more of us Master Severus Sir but Master Theodore is giving them all clothes before he left. Barry and Moodey is hiding from Master Theodore.” Moodey looked at Severus in fear, obviously worried what would happen next.

“I will not be giving you clothes. This is your home, far more than it is mine. I will need one of you to take me to the House Stone so that I can adjust the wards. Do you need anything to help you to get this place looking more put together?” Severus was assuming he would need to employ at least two more House Elves for the work to be complete any time soon.

“Barry is be taking the Master Severus to the House Stone. After that we is be needing nothing at all.” Barry stepped forward and touched Severus’s hand with some degree of reverence that he was definitely not used to. The house elf snapped his fingers and Severus felt the strange pull and twist of House Elf Apparation.

Severus looked around what appeared to be a vault in the basement of the building. There was a strange red light that tinted the earthen walls and pulsed in a way that vaguely reminded Severus of a heartbeat with a murmur. He frowned as Barry tugged his hand slightly.

“The House Stone is being there Master Severus.” He pointed shakily and Severus nodded, heading in the direction he was shown. The House Stone was the source of the light and, it seemed, the strange beat that caused the light to pulse. He reached out his left hand and placed it on the stone, a warmth filling him. The light grew brighter until he had to close his eyes against it.

And then suddenly the pain knifed through him and he screamed. His back bowed and tears leaked from his eyes. It was more excruciating than the Cruciatus, even worse than Nagini’s attack. He had survived those, he felt he would not survive this. It burned through his veins, tearing through his muscles, and frying his nerve endings. The heartbeat of the House Stone sped up and the colour seemed to be pale, weaker as his own heart fluttered in his chest. He cried out again and collapsed to the floor, his hand still attached to the stone, prolonging his agony as he blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wake up Severus! We have places to go and people to see...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My new favourite insult is in this chapter! Further reason to love Phineas in this story imo.
> 
> As always, I love every reader and wish I could give you all a Covid-19 safe hug!

“Seriously, the boy seems to love being dramatic. Severus will you wake the hell up?” Phineas’s voice woke him again and he groaned. Severus rolled over onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. The white, flawless ceiling.

“Where the hell am I now?” His voice was mostly returned to normal and his head no longer felt heavy. Phineas chuckled before he responded.

“You’re back in the Master Suite. The same room you first arrived in. It turns out, my son might not be quite so chumpy as I first thought.” Severus raised an eyebrow and rolled over to face Phineas’s portrait.

“Chumpy?” Severus’s voice was confused and he hated it. He assumed it was some sort of slang that Phineas was using, whether ironically or not.

“Yes. Chumpy. Off his chump. As a loon. Loco. Not the full ticket. Barmy. Fruity. Bughouse. Scatty. Dotty.” Severus sniffed, trying to hide his amusement as the man progressed to more modern slang. Phineas paused, his eyes somehow twinkling in spite of the lack of possible twinkle from a flat piece of canvas.

“Oh…crazy. So, why is he not as…chumpy as you first thought?” Severus could not help the smirk that accompanied the use of the slang.

“The house’s disrepair was a lie. Of course, it is dusty and dirty from disuse but…well, just take a look at it.” Phineas was practically giddy if his tone was anything to go by. Severus pushed himself up to sitting and looked around the Master Suite. The carpet was a deep rich blue, the walls painted white with dark wood panelling that looked like it may be made of red cedar wood rather than the rich mahogany of some of the other pureblood homes he had spent time in in the last few years.

“Not bad is it boy? Much better than it was anyway. Same with all the rooms on this floor actually.” Radford spoke up from where his portrait now hung on the wall rather than sitting propped up on the floor as he had been. Beatrix had also returned to the wall and Severus was slightly put off by the fact that the couple now hung where they could see the bed directly. It was probably a good thing that he had no female in his life that he would have to explain that to.

“It is adequate. I suppose the journey to the library should be easier now then?” He slid his legs round to get out of bed and was surprised that he now seemed to have shrunk from the additional height he had puzzled over. He felt normal. Or as normal as it was possible to feel when one should technically be dead.

“The journey to the library should be fine now Severus. Is there any chance I can request that you take me with you?” Phineas seemed nervous to ask now that Severus knew the way without him but there was no doubt in Severus’s mind that he would take the chattier of the three companions into the library if the request was being made.

“Of course Phineas, but do you mind if I request something to eat first?” At his nod Severus tried to decide what he was in the mood for. “Moodey?” He called her name and waited for the expected crack of Elvish Apparation.

“Master Severus Sir is calling for Moodey?” The House Elf smiled softly as he jumped slightly. There had been no noise as she appeared.

“How did you do that? Appear without making any noise?” Severus had never known a House Elf who could appear completely silently.

“Oh! It was being Master Theodore’s rule. We is coming to his room only in silence.” Moodey shrugged slightly, looking worried that she could not answer the question fully. Severus decided not to make any further comment about the noise and instead decided to ask about food, his whole purpose of calling her upstairs.

“Moodey, is there any food available? Just something light would be acceptable for right now.” Severus lifted one side of his lips into an odd semblance of a smile and she curtsied and nodded.

“Yes Master Severus Sir. Moodey is being fixing something for now. There is being a delivery expected later now that the House is being healing.” Moodey nodded and smiled at him, popping away silently. In only a few moments a corned beef sandwich with doorstep thick bread and slices of tomato and lettuce appeared on the bedside table and he smiled, biting into the bread with a groan.

He finished his sandwich in record time, brushing the crumbs from round his mouth, and stood up, re-shrinking Phineas’s portrait without a word and heading once again to the library. The walls of the hallway were the same mix of white paint and cedar wood. It looked smart and Severus approved, even liking the floors that now seemed to be the same cedar wood with long strips of rugs in the middle, a plush blue with gold embroidered pattern around the edge. It was brighter than the Rosier or Lestrange Mansions but less decadent and opulent than Malfoy Manor had probably ever been. He was glad of the distinction in his head as it would be easier to separate his time under the thumb of the Dark Lord from his new, strangely plush, reality.

He placed his hand on the handle of the library doors and, after it warmed up in his palm slightly, he entered the room, looking around at the huge numbers of books around the walls. He stepped fully into the room; his mouth agape as he looked towards the high domed ceiling and span slowly in a circle as the sheer magnitude of his inheritance hit him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The library at the Prince Manor holds a lot of information, and some new...friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my usual update days...for those of you who have started following me, thank you for keeping up with all my extra fics as well...I really appreciate your support.
> 
> <3 love you guys

“Who goes there?” The voice from the far end of the library, the end that was shrouded in darkness, sounded rough and angry, growling almost. Severus turned back in the direction of the voice, wishing he had remembered his wand.

“I am Severus Theodore Snape, Master of the Prince Line. To whom am I speaking?” Severus assumed that the person he was speaking to was either non-corporeal or, at the very least, confined to canvas. He took a step further into the library and the door closed behind him with a crack that was accompanied only by a small flinch of surprise. A lesser man would have jumped out of his skin.

“You’d be Eileen’s boy then?” The voice growled again and Severus rolled his eyes at the dramatics.

“That’s right. And you would be?” Severus pressed forward again, hoping for a name that would mean something to him. The answer, however, did not come from the darkness but from in his own hands.

“That would be Theodore Aloysius Phineas Prince, previous Master of the Prince Line and…my son. Your Grandfather.” Phineas spoke clearly, obviously letting Theodore Prince know that he was there while at the same time alleviating the uncomfortable stand off that Theodore seemed happy to perpetuate.

“Father? You have come to visit my humble abode? How blessed am I? By Merlin’s own wounds, I thought I would never see you again.” Theodore, whose voice still sounded nearer the sound of an animal growling than that of a human, laced his voice with sarcasm and Severus grimaced. He walked further towards the shadowed aspect of the library and peered into the darkness, mumbling to himself at the lack of light. The lights flickered slightly before raising enough that he could see three portraits covered by black cloth against the wall.

“I should remove those cloths so that we might converse more properly.” Severus stepped forward to grasp the bottom corner of the nearest cloth.

“No!” The word came from multiple directions at once and Severus paused, turning to look at where he had propped up Phineas’s portrait. He raised a single eyebrow and pursed his lips in a look that he had cultivated over many years to get him the answers he wanted.

“And why, pray tell, should I not remove the fabric?” Severus placed a hand on his hip.

“I take it, Father, from your agreement with us that he is not yet aware?” Theodore’s voice spoke from the middle portrait, the larger of the three, and Severus frowned. Who else was under the fabric?

“He is not yet aware. I have brought him here so that he could be made aware. Are the letters where they ought to be? He has shown his…truth.” Phineas trailed off in a way that Severus found most disconcerting and he frowned again.

“Then by the blood of my mother’s line, I call to the House of Prince to light the way for his truth to be known and his heart to be strengthened by the knowledge.” Theodore spoke in a way that sounded like a spell more than any portrait Severus had ever known.

“By the blood of my mother’s line, I call to the House of Prince to enlighten this man of his truth and to strengthen his wits.” A second male voice came from under the closest cloth that his hand had touched and Severus noticed that it too had a growling animalistic quality to it.

“By the blood of the House of Prince, I call to the very line that is combined within to show our temptation, our redemption, our darkness ere he should learn from our mistakes.” The third male voice from the furthest portrait had an echoing quality that the other voices did not share and Severus heard the lilting inflection that suggested a foreign tongue.

“So mote it be!” Three voices under three identical dark cloths spoke at once and Severus whipped his head towards a soft moaning wind that blew pages and pieces of parchment around the library. He watched as the wind picked up letters and books and flung them towards him, picking them back up and throwing them onto a desk he had not noticed in the corner before they hit him. A soft golden light began to glow in the air above the desk and then burst into a spidery web of lines with various coloured dots and symbols at the intersections.

Eventually the wind stopped and the light rose to a level he could read by and Severus looked at the desk in the corner. There were three large books, a stack of what appeared to be letters and a carved wooden and painted block that looked vaguely familiar. He stepped towards the desk before remembering that he had not, as yet, found out who was behind the cloths in the portraits on the wall of the Prince Library.

“Before I read, might I enquire as to the names of those who have condemned me to an evening of reading?” Severus struggled to keep the smirk from his voice. He loved to read. He just was not sure he wanted the portraits to know that yet.

“I am Lysander Eldridge Prince, son of Agrona Elizabeth Prince and Alexander Malfoi Prince. I believe that makes me your Great Great Great Grandfather. My mother is of the Prince Line, as yours was. My father took the name Prince that the line should not die out.” The voice came from under the cloth closest to himself and Severus smiled and nodded in a strangely stilted way as he attempted to acknowledge the covered man.

“I am Arthur Radford Allard Prince. My father is of the Prince line, I believe you have met him? His moniker is Radford Cornelius Allard Prince. You may also have met my mother, Beatrix Malthacia Prince. What they would not have confessed to you, is that they are both of the House of Prince. My mother was the first born daughter of Radford’s own elder brother, Watson Allain Prince and Adeliam Maldrac Gerble. I am the reason the Prince Line is…well, the way it is.” A flare of light by the desk in the corner caught Severus’s eye and he turned, looking at the lines on the wall as they changed colour in various places, the lines becoming bright red instead of black, flowing down to the bottom. He shook himself slightly as it occurred to him that that lines followed more pattern than he had expected and may well be the key to what the images were. He stepped towards the desk and picked up the wooden and painted block first.

“I would help you, Severus, if you would like to bring my portrait closer to the desk.” Phineas’s voice broke into his thoughts and Severus acquiesced silently, walking back to the portrait with the wooden block still in his hand. The block was red and black, all sides split diagonally, with a silver blob in the middle of the top side. Severus was frowning as he picked up Phineas’s portrait and was somewhat annoyed when Phineas snorted softly at the look on his face.

“What is so amusing, Sir?” Severus raised an eyebrow and hid his amusement as Phineas raised his own painted eyebrow back.

“That is the House Crest, Severus. Do you know the language of Heraldry or would I need to explain that to you?” Phineas smiled kindly and Severus grimaced slightly.

“I used to know some of the language but, only the information of certain houses that I was accepted in.” He spoke softly, thinking about how much Lucius had drilled him in the meaning of the ‘best’ houses; specifically, the Houses of Malfoy, Lestrange, Black and Slytherin.

“First, touch the silver. The block will hopefully unfold and show you the full shield.” Severus leaned Phineas’s frame against the wall, placing him on the desk and then touched the silver. The block unfolded to become the size of a piece of A4 paper and he looked at the image in front of him.

“What in the name of Hades is that?” Severus stared at the image of the shield and heard Phineas’s chuckle.

“The house of Prince family crest is Gules and Sable field with Sanguine Bend, Broc Guardant Argent.” Phineas sounded rather proud of the true names of the colours and the images but Severus just blinked at him before staring at the image again.

That was definitely a badger.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who loves Heraldry? No seriously...Severus really doesn't...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a short chapter but I am sure there will be more new one shots from me later today.
> 
> The plan is to have my family tree uploaded somewhere for next week's chapter... <3

“Ok, let me see if I have got this straight. The Noble House of Prince has, for its’ crest, a silver badger on black and red.” Severus pinched his nose and rubbed lightly. He was getting a headache and they had not even started reading the books or looking at the spider’s web on the wall that Severus was now sure was the family tree.

“Severus, again, do I have to explain what each component means? The field of Gules and Sable means Martyrdom and Grief. The Sanguine ordinary means Victory or Fortitude. The Broc Guardant means Endurance and Protection and the fact that it is Argent means Sincerity and Truth.” Phineas was obviously beginning to be annoyed by having to repeat himself. In truth, Severus had memorised what everything meant after the first time being told but it still confused him.

“But…it’s a badger.” Severus spoke quietly but not quiet enough as a deep gravelly laugh came from one of the portraits still hanging on the wall covered in their strange shroud.

“Yes, it is a badger. No, we are not related to the founders of Hogwarts in any way whatsoever, unless you count the marriage link through the Malfoy family. Now, can we move on from this part? We still need to discuss the family motto and then the family curse.” Severus’s eyes snapped to the wall as he heard the word curse and he desperately wanted to groan. A curse? Of course, there was a curse. Wasn’t there always?

“The motto of the House of Prince is ‘Coeurs fidèles, âmes impies.’ Do you speak French or are you a heathen?” Theodore’s voice came from the centre portrait and Severus cringed. He was a Potions Master. He spoke many languages.

“I am fluent in Spanish, Italian, Latin, Greek and Aramaic. I can passably speak and understand German and Portuguese. Unfortunately, I have never taken the time to learn French…” Severus trailed off defensively, folding his arms over his chest.

“The family comes from France originally Severus. French was the language we were all taught as babes on our mother’s knee.” Phineas looked at the prickly Potions Master and Severus took a breath, pulling his anger back to him and letting it dissipate into nothingness.

“I apologise. What is the translation?” Severus bowed his head slightly, hoping to appear humble to the portraits who could obviously see him, regardless of their covered state. The voice that came from behind the coverings was little more than a growl and Severus shivered slightly.

**“Faithful Hearts, Ungodly Souls.”**


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who exactly is Severus related to? Why does he need to look at a family tree that traces back so far when it is so unimportant?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Family Tree is massively problematic at the moment and I am really really really sorry that it is not ready to be uploaded. Like HUGELY sorry. I think I am at the stage of writing it out by hand (again).
> 
> Love you guys, thank you for all your messages, comments and kudos. Your support is invaluable to me...
> 
> This chapter has a reference to the very complicated family tree. PLEASE note that the age comments are time-period appropriate and the inter-marriage is also time-period appropriate. The PUNISHMENT is the part that this author agrees with, not the crime.
> 
> Mer <3

Severus was bored of reading. He never thought that that day would come but here he was, sitting in his own library, resigned to the fact that family history was both complicated and deadly dull. Why, exactly, he needed to know that he was related to multiple prominent families in England and France he did not know.

“So, Durand Abelard Prince married Colette Malfoy, daughter of Armand Malfoy, some time in 1078. Multiple generations of Prince – Malfoy spawn later and we then married into the Prewetts, the Gaunts and the Burkes. Usually the daughters of the families that had lower or less significant magical signatures. We also, occasionally, married Squibs and Muggles if it was a love match?” Severus shook his head in confusion. The Prince Line was a strange one that was for sure.

“It was not about magical purity or magical power. It never was, especially in France. It was entirely about marrying for love. Unfortunately, that became a bone of contention in 1595.” Phineas nodded, speaking calmly. Severus knew it was becoming important for him to listen but his head was pounding. He held a hand up to forestall Phineas for just a moment.

“Barry, could you bring a Headache Potion to me please?” Severus felt ridiculous calling the House Elf but, at this time it was definitely necessary. There was no pop as the House Elf sent a Headache Potion directly to the desk he was sitting at and Severus popped the cork, sighing with relief as he swallowed and the tension behind his eyes began to relax. He closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to abate completely and he lowered his shoulders. They had at some point migrated to almost reach his ears when he had been learning about Allard Prince the 3rd, a particularly boring man who had done nothing of note except to perpetuate the House of Prince with multiple offspring, only one of which had been male and thus considered ‘important’ in the thirteenth century. Severus opened his eyes as the Headache Potion relieved him completely and he gestured for Phineas to continue.

“In 1594, Radford Cornelius Allard Prince returned from his studies in France as a Master of Charms and met the daughter of his brother, Watson Allain Prince, and a poorly-appointed older woman believed to be a Squib, Adeliam Maldrac Gerble. The daughter was Beatrix Malthacia Prince. Beatrix was fair-featured, with eyes like her mother’s. Her magic was weaker than Radford’s and Radford used a most heinous piece of magic to tie her to him. She had not yet met her majority and he was thirteen years her senior.” Severus winced, a gasp passing his lips unintentionally as he realised that there were some horrors that even he would prefer not to consider, though other Death Eaters had been party to them on more than one occasion he was sure.

“My mother, young though she was, loved him very much. Father was four and twenty when he trapped her into marriage. She was eleven years old and had planned to attend school for the first time after the summer. As a married woman, she had this plan stolen from her and instead she studied here, in this very library.” Arthur’s voice came from the wall and Severus growled softly under his breath.

“Adeliam Maldrac Gerble was not what she had presented herself to be. She was not a Squib. Her magic was, not simply different, but more. Adeliam was a crone, a hag, a blood tainted entity, born to another hag through the use of a spell. She was not of nature and yet she controlled it. She cursed the family line to forever be tainted by one moment of madness and decision. There have been three of us inflicted with the curse since it began in 1596. And now there is a fourth.” Severus frowned and opened his mouth to speak but before he had the chance a breeze blew through the library and the cloths from the paintings dropped to the floor, revealing the nature of the curse far better than words ever could have done.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus sees exactly what the curse entails...and learns some home truths...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the 100th update/chapter/post this month! Thank you all so much for your encouragement and for bearing with me when I am writing lots of short stuff as well as the long stuff.
> 
> I appreciate and love every single one of you and hope that you are keeping safe and happy.
> 
> Always <3
> 
> Mer

The portraits collectively stared at him as Severus whimpered softly, taking in the grotesque appearance. Black leathery wings adorned the backs of the three men stood in their portraits, silver spiralled horns on the top of their head. Their faces were contorted in permanent scowls, sparkling white fangs showing themselves as they pulled their lips back into the patented Prince Smirk.

“Well, boy, have you nothing to say to us?” The voice could have come from any of the portraits and, as they did not move, Severus struggled to place it. He flinched at its harsh tone however and frowned up at the three paintings.

“Why are you not moving?” The response was more ridiculous than he had expected and Severus wanted to curse his stupidity.

“It is part of the curse. Though the mortal body can die and cause the portraits to become animated, as such, the soul cannot die and thus the paintings are trapped, unmoving, not fully animated and not fully dead. For example, as we have found out to our detriment, they can be hurt. The screams when we tried to burn their portraits…” Phineas trailed off as Severus grimaced.

“So the curse is…what exactly?” Severus could see the way the men looked but it was so vastly different to the way he looked and it confused him more than he would like to admit. He was never going to be the most handsome of men but he was not a horned and winged beast from legend.

“The only person who knows the full wording of the curse is Adeliam. It is not written in any of the books because, well, honestly? Because Radford was a drunken idiot when he heard the curse and only remembered the last part.” Phineas rolled his eyes and chuckled slightly before the three demonic portraits on the wall all intoned what Severus assumed to be the last line of the curse.

“Moreover, the tortures darkness brings on cloven hooves, horns and wings.” Severus wondered at the rhyming pattern with a frown but the words themselves were enough to understand at least some of what was coming to him.

“So, when do I get the full…” Severus waved his hand at the demonic look vaguely and the answer seemed to echo around the room.

“It starts after the death of the one who was born a Prince to the child of a Prince. It happens at times of great emotion and then, once love is found, it settles into permanence.” Lysander spoke softly and Severus nearly had to crane to hear him.

“Born a Prince to the child of a Prince? I’m a Snape.” Severus frowned. He had always hated his father, it was true, but it had taken him years before he had shunned his father and started using the moniker of Half-Blood Prince.

“Severus, you could have been a Prince. Eileen and Tobias were…not married when you were born. She was…rebelling against the family.” Theodore spoke up from the centre portrait.

“Rebelling against the family? She told me you cast her aside when she married Tobias…” Severus trailed off, the unspoken question in his voice as it registered how different life could have been for him, if he had been a Prince.

“Probably rebelling against me if I am honest. I did not take this form until my death. Mine was not a love match. I married for necessity. Eileen married when she was of age. You were already 2 years old by then. You were born a Prince but named a Snape.” Theodore spoke sadly, though his portrait maintained the fearsome expression.

“She…how old was she when I was born?” Severus frowned, knowing deep in his heart that his mother had spent years lying to him.

“She was fifteen. She turned sixteen the following June. You lived here, cared for by us and by Tobias, until her birthday. And then she disappeared and took you with her. We never saw her again. Her mother was devastated and…my Jeanie’s portrait animated in 1964. I searched for ten years more for her, for you, for any sign. She was our only child. We would never abandon her. We loved her, loved you. I heard that a Snape child had started at Hogwarts and…at least I knew that you were alive. Don’t you see? I had to do what I could.” Theodore spoke in a rush and Severus heard the telling note of shame behind his words.

“She lied to me then. She told me she was almost twenty when she met my father. She said she knew Minerva McGonnagol, that they were at school together, that they were friends…” Severus felt his voice crack. Minerva had, once, been his friend too. That would surely be over after the last year they had spent together in that hideous castle with those hideous Carrows.

“Minerva? They were not friends. Minerva taught her Transfiguration. Eileen started at Hogwarts the year before Minerva started teaching. Minerva was her mentor, absolutely that. Eileen was so gifted at Transfiguration, Minerva wanted to give her an Apprenticeship…and then Tobias came along and…well, your mother left school after the end of her fifth year, straight after she sat her OWLs. And then she left here and took you and Tobias with her. Tobias found a job and then…we never saw you again.” Theodore’s face remained stoic but Severus knew that was the way the monster had been painted and less the lack of emotion.

“She lied to me. Why would Mam lie to me?” Severus felt the shudder go through him. Everyone always lied to him. His Mam promised she would never lie. His Mam was one of the good ones. Why did she lie to him?

“Severus, your mother…Eileen was not well. She was…Eileen was a very lonely child. Jeanie, that is, Jeanette and I, we could only have the one child and my sister Enid and her husband Algernon were childless. Eileen grew up alone. Her imagination flourished but her spirit did not. She liked to make up stories. I suppose that is something she carried with her into adulthood.” Severus felt the wave of sadness ready to overwhelm him and he pushed it down, a remnant of his time occluding daily. 

“So…I suppose the next question is…how do I break the curse?”


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus gets given another option...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, to anyone who has been following my other stories (yay thank you I love you etc etc) I have actually managed to secure a property that will provide me some security for a short while. I also have been formally offered a property for a permanent placement in a few weeks once it has been fixed up. So those that have been praying, thank you.
> 
> I do not have wifi however, but I have a package added to my phone as a temporary measure which allows me lots of internet access. It does mean that updates may be a little more sporadic. I am NOT ahead on all of my stories right now and will be hopefully working on them regularly but there may be a slight delay in updates. This will be rectified as soon as possible but please be patient with me.
> 
> I love you all and thank you for all your good thoughts. Now I just need to get enough money together to pay for all the things I need for a brand new home...yeesh...being unable to work is a pain in the ass...

Severus lay in the bedroom of Prince Manor and scowled up at the ceiling. He had retired here after his question had gone unanswered. The three cursed men had blinked, the only movement he had seen them make, and had been completely silent. They had no answers for him and he had sunken into a state of frustration he was unused to. Anger, he could handle. Even depression seemed the norm. But frustration was something he could usually avoid, especially with his access to the vast library at Hogwarts.

“What I need is to know the whole of the curse.” He spoke aloud, knowing that he would not get any answer from the portraits in his room. He had Silenced them when he had been hurriedly blasting spells and changing colours in the room. The walls were now a muted sage green and the sheets on his bed were a deeper shade of green with a gold fleur de lis pattern. He chose not to mention that they were the same as the sheets on his bed at Hogwarts. He was fairly sure that the sheets at Hogwarts would be burned and destroyed as soon as someone was able to get into the Headmaster’s Chambers. They had not managed it yet. He had felt them attacking his wards for the past two hours and they were still unbroken.

He looked up to find that Beatrix was going ballistic in her frame, her face had practically changed colour with her frustration and her eyes were blown wide. He waved his hand negligently and dispelled the Silencio on her portrait.

“…have some damned respect!” Her lips parted and she was breathing heavily and Severus was reminded that she was, quite frankly, a stunningly attractive woman. He smirked at her, his dark eyes twinkling in the light of the room and she raised her hand to pat at her hair, tucking the strands that had escaped during her silent diatribe back into the neat style.

“When you are ready, Madam?” He raised his eyes to her and winked, shifting his hands to behind his head so that he looked relaxed, in spite of the fact that he was more tense than he had been in a while.

“Well, I, merely thought you should be aware of the fact that only one person has ever known the entirety of the curse and, I am not entirely convinced that she would be willing to help.” Beatrix smiled at him, but the smile did not reach her eyes. It made her look almost vicious in her delight at disappointing him.

“I assume that you mean your mother, Adeliam Maldrac Prince, is the only person who will know the entirety of the curse?” Severus spoke calmly, a smirk waiting on his lips.

“She is. And before you ask,” Beatrix smirked in the way that he had only ever seen on his mother’s lips, or his own. “I do not know where her portrait is, or even if there is one anywhere anymore. There has never been one in Prince Manor.” The smirk stretched into a twisted semblance of a smile and Beatrix’s attractiveness was completely forgotten, overshadowed by the cruelty of her sneer.

“Well, it looks like I will have to leave the Manor then. I assume that I will continue to look like myself until, whenever the conditions have been met that cause the permanent manifestation of the…other form?” Severus raised his eyebrow and looked between the three portraits. The still-silenced Radford nodded sheepishly and Beatrix blew a breath harshly through her mouth, causing her hair to move around her face. Phineas, however, did not respond. Severus waved his hand and the Silencio was removed from his portrait.

“I might have an idea, Severus. You’ll need to shrink me down and take me with you though.” Severus quirked an eyebrow at him.

“And where, pray tell, am I to take you?” Severus drawled softly, swinging his legs from the bed to stand and approach where Phineas’s portrait was resting.

“Why, to Hogwarts of course, Headmaster.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus arrives at Hogwarts...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cackles* I love this chapter. No seriously, I had WAY too much fun with this chapter and the next one too...MM/SS BROTP

“I don’t understand it Minerva. Mr Potter and Mr Weasley both saw the attack on Severus, they saw him die, and yet Miss Granger still cannot get past his wards, even with his wand in her hand. And she will not let any of us try with the wand either. Minerva, I am concerned that Miss Granger is suffering more than she lets on.” Filius Flitwick spoke to the Headmistress-in-waiting as they stood at the bottom of the stairs to the Headmaster’s Office. The Gargoyle had refused to move for anyone except Miss Granger, who had promptly changed the password and refused to let anyone know what she had changed it to. She had been enclosed in the office space for three days now, ever since she had found his wand and no trace of the body.

“I think she needs to feel useful Filius. She needs to feel like she can do something. I just wish I knew what she was doing up there.” Minerva pursed her lips unhappily and turned from the Gargoyle, her eyes going wide and a small squeak passing her lips as she pointed down the hallway. Filius turned and gasped, shaking slightly.

“Se-Se-Severus?” Filius squeaked as the man, clothed in his signature black, walked towards his deputies, looking very much alive.

“Filius. Minerva.” Severus stopped, unsure of his welcome. His hand reached for his spare wand, a strangely twisted Acacia and Dragon Heartstring wand that felt weaker than his first wand. His hand had not quite made it to his pocket when he found himself with an armful of sobbing witch who smelled of mint, rose and something uniquely Minerva. He suspected shortbread, whiskey and heather.

“You were…and now you’re…but…you were DEAD!” Filius shrieked from somewhere near his knees and Severus patted Minerva’s back awkwardly.

“Rumours of my death were greatly exaggerated.” He spoke softly, his smirk lending a teasing note to his voice and Minerva pulled back, looking at him through still wet eyes.

“Oh you!” She swatted his shoulder none too gently and he smirked again.

“Yes, me. Still the same me as I have been for the past…however many years you have known me.” Severus spoke softly, still reeling from the reaction of his former friends.

“Severus Snape, I ought to box your ears young man! Why didn’t you tell us? Any of us? Someone? You were…oh Severus, you were so alone…” Minerva trailed off, sniffling again as she remembered how terrible the past year had been.

“How could I Min? How could I tell you anything after I murdered Albus?” Severus felt his own eyes begin to fill with tears at the memory. Minerva swatted him again, her head resting on his shoulder as she spoke softly so that only he could hear her.

“You didn’t, oh Severus, you are not a murderer. You need to know that. How many did you save?” Minerva shook slightly and pulled back, looking him in the eyes. He gave her a slight smile, as much of one as he had ever given to any of his colleagues, and she smiled back. “How many did you save Severus?”

“As many as I could, Min. As many as I was able to. And I swear to you, I never wanted to kill Albus. He gave me no choice. It was either a swift death at the end of my wand or a long, torturous one at the end of another Death Eater’s…” Severus trailed off as Filius let out a squawk of protest.

“You are not a Death Eater! There is nothing to claim as ‘another Death Eater’ when you are not one.” Filius spoke firmly, nodding to himself before patting Severus’s knee. Severus rolled his eyes and pushed the left sleeve of his frock coat up, holding his arm out for inspection.

“I think this proves I am…I was a Death Eater, Filius. I am sure most people will have no problem remembering that. I should think this last year more than proved it.” Severus sighed heavily as Minerva pulled away to look at his arm. She gave a most unladylike snort and covered her face with her hand, her shoulders shaking. He heard titters coming from the direction of his arm and looked down at Filius, his eyes catching on the ink of his Dark Mark. Or rather…what had been his Dark Mark. He drew the shrunken portrait from his pocket and glared at Phineas Prince’s smirking portrait.

“Phineas. Explain.” Yes, it had been an ugly symbol of an ugly time in his life but at least the skull and snake motif had been appropriately ‘sexy’, according to Muggle females, to get him laid sometimes.

He doubted very much that he would get laid with a badger tattoo on his arm.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that he has seen his new Badger Artwork, how will people react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I am so sorry I missed yesterday! I signed the paperwork for my new flat and everything got away from me. I am so sorry.
> 
> Monday will be a MANIC day for me so please give me a little to get myself organised... <3 Thank you loves!

“You cleansed Prince Manor and it cleansed you right back. I do not see what the problem is, Severus.” Phineas spoke calmly, ignoring the laughter of Minerva and Filius, though it seemed he was also finding it difficult to keep a straight face.

“So, Severus, do I take it that the Headmaster is going to be fully impartial at the Quidditch matches from now on?” Filius tittered and Severus growled softly. Minerva snorted again and he whipped his head towards her, raising an eyebrow.

“Where are the other three tattoos then? Do you have a snake…?” She gasped for breath and turned away, leaning against the castle wall to hold herself up as she cackled like an old crone. Severus groaned as Filius threw his head back and roared with laughter. Severus moved to head towards his office, the place he had been heading for before he had met his colleagues.

“Oh, Severus?” Minerva had pulled her face from the wall to look back at him and some of the mirth had eased.

“Yes Min?” Severus turned back to offer a tight smile. He was glad they had found humour amongst the ruins of war but wished it had not been humour against his current artwork.

“You may find that you will struggle to get into your office. Miss Granger has been in there for two days and has changed the password so no one else can enter.” Minerva shrugged slightly and turned to walk away, Filius on her heels as they began to discuss their options now that the Headmaster was back. Severus hoped desperately that they would stay, that he would be allowed to step down and they could be left to run the school. He had more important things to worry about. Mostly how to ensure he did not grow wings or horns any time in the near future. He approached the Gargoyle guarding his office and quirked an eyebrow as it refused to move.

“Password?” The Gargoyle’s voice sounded like two bricks rubbed together at the end of a long tunnel. Severus sniffed through his prodigious nose and his eyebrow raised higher.

“I do not need a password to enter my office. I am still Headmaster of this school.” The Gargoyle looked at him and, if it were not made of stone, Severus was sure it would have raised its’ own eyebrow.

“The young woman in the Headmaster’s Office has stated that you could easily be someone who has used spell or potion to transform yourself and approach. She said that the true Headmaster would know the password.” The Gargoyle looked strangely winded, as though it had never spoken so many words in one conversation before. Severus supposed it hadn’t. After all, who, in Merlin’s name, would hold a conversation with a carved rock?

“The true Headmaster? I…” Severus took a breath, counting backwards from five and hoping he could somehow work out what Miss Granger would have chosen as the password that would mean something to him but that no one would guess.

“Yes?” Severus frowned as the Gargoyle interrupted his thought process. He began to mutter to himself.

“A password that only the true Headmaster would know? That only I would know? That no dunderhead would ever know? That girl is such an Insufferable Know-it-All…” He trailed off incredulously as the Gargoyle slid aside and the stairs ascended to his office. He felt the laugh bubbling up in his chest as he stepped onto the moving staircase to see exactly what Miss Granger was doing in his office.


End file.
